- United States
- Calif.
- Letter
We, the undersigned, call for immediate intervention to stop the catastrophic sewage plan currently being advanced through the Biden/Newsom USMCA framework. This plan will increase the amount of Mexican sewage discharged into U.S. territorial waters by more than 600%, threatening public health, national security, and the environment for millions of Americans.
In 2019, the United States approved the Tijuana River Diversion Study (Arcadis Report)—a proven, science-based solution that kept all Tijuana sewage in Mexico, preventing toxic contamination from reaching American coastlines. Congress allocated $300 million under the USMCA to implement this plan and finally protect U.S. waters.
However, the Biden administration, Governor Gavin Newsom, and select special-interest groups abandoned that plan and replaced it with one that:
• Increases sewage released into U.S. waters by over 600%
• Directly endangers the new SEAL Team training facility in Coronado
• Gives Mexico a 300% reduction in their pollution burden
• Exposes U.S. military personnel, families, and coastal communities to dangerous contamination
• Reverses decades of U.S. coastal-protection policy
• Ignores the intent of Congress and the science behind the original solution
When residents attempted to participate in 2022 stakeholder meetings, they were blocked, while Mexican Core Group representatives were allowed full access. This process lacked transparency and violated the public’s right to be heard.
We urgently demand federal leadership take the following actions:
1 Immediately halt funding for the current sewage plan.
2 Launch an independent investigation into why the 2019 Arcadis plan was abandoned.
3 Restore the original solution that kept all Mexico-sourced sewage in Mexico for proper treatment.
4 Protect American communities, public health, coastal ecosystems, and national security.
A 600% sewage increase is unacceptable. The current plan is a disaster for the American people. We demand immediate corrective action.